The government issues subjugation requests for Rank S Dungeons for three reasons.
First, as the official line states, to reduce the risk of Gate Crashes.
It is said that Rank S Dungeons have an extremely high internal magic power tolerance limit, making Gate Crashes unlikely, but history has proven that if one were to occur, it would have fatal consequences.
Second, to assess the Hunters’ abilities.
The motivation to find and recruit talented individuals through subjugation operations is understandable.
And third, it’s preparation for conquering New Dungeons.
After confirming the Labyrinth Agency officials’ withdrawal, Kageichi silently descended to the dungeon floor.
The time was midnight.
Basically, nighttime dungeon entry is not recommended.
The Labyrinth Agency has issued warnings, stating that monsters become more powerful and that it could become a hotbed for crime. There are also clear penalties for entering the Four Great Dungeons after hours.
Understanding this, Kageichi stood in the northern mid-levels of “Nagi Plains”… next to the stairs leading underground, examining the nearby wall.
As expected, a hidden passage was found—
And swirling beyond it was a new gate, shining silver.
“…As expected, it was a measure against the New Dungeon, huh?”
A dungeon is basically one labyrinth per gate.
However, in the case of Rank S Dungeons with over 20 floors, the interior may span multiple stages, and very rarely, a “Branch Gate” connecting from one dungeon to a new dungeon may appear.
The Labyrinth Agency’s subjugation operation was likely a preliminary step to search for this “New Dungeon.”
In my previous life, there was a similar event during a LAW update.
Well then, Kageichi removed the “Hide Cloak” he had equipped just in case, and passed through the gate without hesitation—the scenery changed completely.
Before him was a silver world spreading across his entire field of vision, and distant ice mountains. The breath he exhaled turned white.
“A ‘Snowfield’ stage, huh?”
The biting cold was piercing.
Without cold protection, one would suffer continuous cold damage, and the pure coldness would inevitably cause one to shrink and become unable to act.
In combat, one would be caught in the snow, making it difficult to fight against wild monsters.
And speaking of representative monsters in the snowfield stage…
“…As expected, you’re coming, huh? Nostalgic.”
Kageichi scraped his leather shoes and looked up at the sky. A shadow flickered before him.
Beyond the cloudy sky, a huge shadow crossed the sky with a whoosh, and a monster with huge wings and a dragon’s head greeted the intruder with a roar that made him tremble—
A giant dragon, familiar in the fantasy world, but still one of the strongest in modern dungeons, flapped its wings as if looking down on foolish humanity, its blue eyes shining.
The “Glacial Dragon” Ice Ogre.
It is a type of attribute dragon that forms a pair with the “Blazing Flame Dragon” Flare Ogre and the “Thunderous Roar Dragon” Bolt Ogre.
As the title suggests, ordinary weapons cannot penetrate the skin covered in ice scales, and its agile flight ability means that melee weapons cannot reach it in the first place.
Its weakness is fire.
However, a half-hearted fire skill would easily be frozen and would be completely ineffective.
Its attack methods are also atrocious, including a typical ice breath and ice bullets fired from its mouth.
Its tail attack contains dragon-specific poison, and it uses its giant body for gliding and ramming attacks, making it extremely troublesome—
Just a small fry monster.
“I know it’s not a Dungeon Boss, but it will still be an obstacle to the conquest. Let’s eliminate it first.”
Kageichi leisurely readied the “Dragon Crossbow Cannon” that Mr. Nyamdore had made for him the other day.
This weapon, which he brought to shoot down flying dragons, naturally had “Dragon Slayer” properties.
Kageichi doesn’t need to struggle in his life.
He doesn’t need the excitement of battle, tension, or a sense of crisis.
He wants to unilaterally crush his enemies as safely as possible… Naturally, he uses a Dragon Slayer weapon against a dragon.
And so, Kageichi carefully aimed at the enemy—
“…Hmm…”
He stopped unusually and put away the crossbow.
He changed his mind because he remembered his disciple struggling against a golem at noon today.
It’s easy to crush them with a bow and arrow.
It also fits Kageichi’s style.
But, sometimes…
It’s not bad to move your body and regain your physical senses by fighting directly.
He was feeling a little unsatisfied fighting the golem.
“My policy is to make things easy, but… if I make things too easy, my body will become dull during the real thing. Sometimes, it’s good exercise to cross blades directly.”
He put away the bow and readied a short sword and small shield.
While laughing that it had been a while since he had fought in a normal battle, Kageichi suddenly realized that he was being influenced by his disciple without even realizing it.
Kageichi Futsuu’s life has always been about self-sufficiency.
He didn’t get involved with others, and he excluded communication with others as much as possible, except for what was necessary for work.
Humans are troublesome.
Parents, family, bosses and colleagues at work, former classmates—Kageichi thinks that most of them are beings who bring trouble.
That’s why he avoided interacting with others and spent his days freely…
(It’s interesting that I’m being influenced by others.)
Through Kiraboshi’s apprenticeship, there were things Kageichi had to learn.
In particular, the fact that his upper body armor made him look like a monster to others was a blind spot.
In addition, he remembered the importance of basic training and basic combat methods against monsters, which he had long forgotten. —Along with nostalgia, he remembered what he had forgotten.
(Maybe I should abandon efficiency and fight decently for once.)
He stretched and confirmed the feeling of the snow touching the soles of his shoes.
While channeling magical power into his lower body to prevent his feet from being caught in the snow, Kageichi raised his sword at the Ice Dragon glaring at him.
“I’m in a good mood today. Besides, it’s a challenge to a New Dungeon. …Let me have you as a playmate for a little while.”
He beckoned provocatively.
As if responding, the Glacial Dragon Ice Ogre unleashed a “Dragon Roar” that served as both a status UP and a threat, and focused magical power on its gleaming mouth.
With a pale blue light, it was fired like a laser beam.
Before the approaching Ice Breath, Kageichi held up a small shield in his left hand, parrying it lightly, and jumped into the dragon’s chest with glee.
—I’m a cold-blooded man.
But sometimes, I think it’s not bad to enjoy the game.